TV HIGHLIGHTS Holmes, sweet
The wait is almost over, Sherlock fans... Ahead of the super sleuth’s return on New Year’s Day, does some detective work with the show’s tight-lipped cast and crew explored than they’ve ever been, and there’s great darkness in some of that, and also utter brilliance and light and love and goodness.”
There’s an important addition to the cast, too: Watson’s baby daughter with his wife, Mary (played by Martin’s ex real-life partner, Amanda Abbington).
Steven jokes that the tot “must have superpowers by now”.
“Sherlock is still a scary, dangerous man, John Watson’s still an adrenalin junkie, Mary’s still an ex-assassin – it’s an extraordinary family group that this baby’s being introduced to,” he observes.
While the new arrival does help create “some of the most fun stuff, and some of our most touching stuff”, it doesn’t mean the series will lose its action and edge.
And don’t expect Sherlock to be changing many nappies for his friend – as co-creator Mark Gatiss, who also plays Holmes’ brother Mycroft, notes, the sleuth “regards everything as a kind of specimen in a petri dish”.
“He’s not quite as in love with babies as I am, let’s put it like that,” adds Benedict, who is expecting his second child with wife Sophie. “But he’s got a deep affection for the child, because it belongs to two people he cares about.”
Since Sherlock first aired in 2010, Benedict has become a fully-fledged Hollywood star. In fact, the London-born actor went straight from wrapping superhero movie Doctor Strange to starting Doctor John and Mary Watson (Martin Freeman and Amanda Abbington) have a baby to look after – as well as Sherlock over the single ladies on Paddy’s panel. But will the celebs find they are spoilt for choice when it comes to finding romance or will 5ive’s hit When The Lights Go Out prove to be oddly prophetic? a great first impression, which could be a problem if he is to survive meeting Mrs Brown, and Grandad is back from hospital with a new stairlift – and a prescription for marijuana. Comedy, starring Brendan O’Carroll. work on the detective drama the next day.
“I was finishing Doctor Strange in America saying, ‘Please! I haven’t got time to learn this stuff – you’ve got to send it to me now!”’ he says, referring to the latest round of Sherlock scripts. “Of course, I was a little bit excited about what happens, as well as learning my lines...”
It took him a while to get back into Sherlock mode.
“There are so many rugs being pulled under our feet so fast with the characters in this particular series, you don’t have much time to re-establish what you already know of him before you’re being challenged into some- Goodchild and immigration enforcement officer Pia Butler, who ask Nikki and Thomas to test for a DNA match with 17 year-old Syrian illegal immigrant Akka Khoury. The teenager was sent the digit by a peoplesmuggler who claims to have her mother and is demanding money for her safe return.
Meanwhile, Akka’s 12 year-old cousin Sosa is trying to enter the UK illegally hidden in a van on a cross-channel ferry. Emilia Fox stars.